


Following the star

by lennyangel



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: As canon compliant as making them in love can be, Fluff, M/M, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 20:39:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18818593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lennyangel/pseuds/lennyangel
Summary: The squeak of shoes. The thud of balls. The smell of sweat and salonpas. So familiar by now, after three years of playing in middle school. But the sight I saw that day was so unfamiliar I couldn’t help but think,“He’s a star”So I followed that star to Fukurodani.





	1. Akaashi's story

The squeak of shoes. The thud of balls. The smell of sweat and salonpas. So familiar by now, after three years of playing in middle school. But the sight I saw that day was so unfamiliar I couldn’t help but think,

“He’s a star”

So I followed that star to Fukurodani.

I’m not one to get very nervous, or let my nerves get to me. The night before my first day of school, I went to sleep as normal. But I was excited. I was excited for all the normal reasons, and I was excited to meet him. He’d be a second year now. I wanted to be near someone who’s passion for volleyball exuded through every fibre of his muscles.

I went to greet the team. I introduced myself properly. There were some looks exchanged between the third years. Was my expression too blank? Was my tone too flat? I don’t know how to change these things. I must admit, I haven’t really tried. I find people get over it eventually, or they are the kind of people who wouldn’t be satisfied no matter how smiley and bouncy I was. Besides, you can always tell when someone is faking. If you fake your personality to fit in, it puts people ill at ease.

Still, I wanted my senpais to like me, so I wouldn’t have a hard time. I diligently went about cleaning the gym after practice. That’s when he approached me.

Bokuto Koutarou. His hands were behind his back, as he tilted his head. It was cute. “Akashi-kun?”

“It’s Akaashi.” I corrected automatically. How stupid. Here he was, the star player I had been thinking about since seeing him in that gym. The one I came here for. My heart beat a little faster, worried he would be mad at me.

“Could you practice spikes with me a little bit?” he asked, as if unconcerned or unaware I had corrected him. Obviously, I agreed.

It was a miscalculation. I should have expected it, since I knew how enthusiastic he could be. But his approach had been so sweet, so innocent, and I had been so keen for his approval, I had forgotten what drew me to him in the first place.

So there I was, hands on my knees, sweat in my eyes, and the sound of my own heartbeat in my ears, when he says my name again. Wrong again.

“It’s Akaashi.” I corrected. I didn’t care. Surely he couldn’t be mad after making me toss to him for over an hour. I looked ip and wiped the sweat from my brow, waiting for the next demand.

“Your tosses are the best!”

Everything stopped. Suddenly I wasn’t tired, or sore, or annoyed. All I could see was his smile, so wide and bright it filled the whole room. I was so happy. Such direct praise, no ulterior motive or follow up critique. I would have been happy hearing that from anyone. But it made a difference it was him. I felt a different happiness. As if I was suddenly floating.

“Ah sure.” Is all I could manage. I was flustered. “Could you sound a little more fired up?” he said, but it wasn’t angry. I didn’t feel upset. He was still smiling. The next time he asked me to help him practice for “just a little bit”. I naturally said yes. I tried harder and harder each time. And I always got praised for it. Bokuto praised openly everyone on the team. When he felt something, he felt it, and never hid his feelings. It was intense, but I really admired his honesty. But I felt I was getting too big for my boots.

“Bokuto san, it’s okay to give me criticism, I want to improve and be on your level” I said one day while it was just us. To be honest, I expected him to hand wave it away, to laugh and say my tosses were already the best. But then his expression changed. It was serious. A shiver went through my whole body. “That toss before, where I did a cross? Was a little low. I think you wait to jump just a little too long sometimes. Also, in a real game, there will be blockers, so you can’t always toss wherever is easiest. We should start working on you tossing to the least comfortable position.” I nodded as enthusiastically as I could. He smiled. I felt so warm. He then clapped me on the back and said

“And be on my level? I do believe you just complimented me, Akashi!”

“It’s Akaashi.”

 

The next day, the third year setter came and talked to me in class. He offered to help me get out of practicing with Bokuto. I was perplexed. When I said I enjoyed practicing with a star player, he looked perplexed. They called me a weirdo.  That was okay. I was already established in the team. And Bokuto didn’t think I was a weirdo. He liked my tosses. He wanted to help me improve. Volleyball was fun, and Bokuto made it even more fun.

 

We had a practice game. Everyone tried hard, but Bokuto gave it his all. He took it really to heart when we lost, even though it was _just_ a practice game. He went and hid under a desk. His larhe form all hunched up in sulking was very cute. The third years laughed at him and sighed. I ignored him until he called my name.

“Akaashi.” He said it right! “Practice spikes with me for just a little bit?”

I buzzed with excitement. “Sure.” Was all I manged to say. But he smiled.

 

One day during practice, Bokuto was flexing. “Don’t cha think I’ve gotten more muscular lately?” he asked no one in particular. He tried to get the other second years to feel his muscles. Then he pressured the first years. I knew I was next.

“AKAASHI! Don’t you think my muscles have grown?” he flexed his bicep to prove his point. I agreed. “Touch it.”

“You don’t have to!” cried a third year.

I reached out my hand and gripped the bicep. I then proceeded to feel Bokuto’s shoulder and back.

“Your muscle mass has definitely increased. While it shows a growth of power, muscle isn’t naturally flexible and could impede your spikeing. Please ensure you do lots of stretches, Bokuto-san.” I was a little shocked at how bold I was being. But Bokuto was smiling, happy to be indulged. I felt his rib and he began to laugh.

“That tickles!” he pulled away, huge smile on his face. “I must be getting stronger thanks to your amazing tosses.” I turned away. Even though I was getting used to his straightforward compliments, him saying it in front of other people was so embarrassing. Perhaps I was slow, but I had just realised as well that I had fondled my idol in front of everyone. I felt warmth in my cheeks. Was I blushing? There was a slight gasp from Bokuto. I looked up and was shocked to find his expression so enraptured,

“You’re so pretty.” He breathed.

I waited. But the second part never came. _“You’re so pretty ….for a boy”_ was the phrase. I also got _“You’d be pretty if you were a girl.” “If you smiled more, you’d be pretty”.”If you were a girl, I’d date you.”_

But Bokuto just said I was pretty. I didn’t no what to say so I just said

“Sure.” And walked away. Inside I was screaming.

 

At some point Bokuto and I started having lunch together. He came over one lunch time, asking to practice.

“I have to eat my lunch first.” “I’ll wait.”

He did. The next day he came round too. He started coming on days he didn’t want to practice. We just spent time together. People in my class took notice. One pair of boys had started to give me trouble for my blank expressions and straight forward speech, but they backed off once “that huge second year” started hanging around. The girls asked me who he was.

“He’s the volleyball teams star player. We have a game this week, why don’t you come and watch?”

They did.

 

“AKAASHI! AKAASHI! LOOK! Those girls came to see me play! They yelled my name!”

He was all fired up. He played like a dream. But when he got that final spike, from the toss I set him, when we won the game. It wasn’t to those girls he turned to. It was to me. We yelled in triumph together. We double high fived. My fingers stung but I slapped with all my might. The girls came over later, and Bokuto smiled and showed off. But he came back to me. Asked me if I thought his playing was awesome.

“Yes, it was awesome, Bokuto-san.”

He beamed.

I was his first and last port of call. He was always yelling if I’d seen this or that, begging for compliments. He needed validation a lot, but always sort it most earnestly from me. But I tried not to think about it.

I tried not to dwell on how much time we spent together. How he started buying two sweet buns and giving me one. How I started packing extra meat so I could feed him some. How he would come over to my house to watch volleyball games, or I went to his to study. How every now and again our hands would brush against each other and neither of us would pull away. I didn’t think about how much I wanted him to call me pretty again. Absurd.

I was happy to be playing volleyball with him. I was happy with our team learning to support him, and our success growing.

 

So when the sakura were blooming, and it was graduation of the third years, and we were heading into our next year as a team, I didn’t think about how he reached into my hair to pull out a petal. I didn’t think about the way his hands shook as he took out a crumpled letter on pink paper and began to read, in a stilted voice, about how he loved my tosses, and my hands, and my face and my smile and spending time together.

“I like you, Akaashi.”  He finished. He looked at me expectantly.

“Ah, sure” was all I could muster. Internally, I was screaming. He tilted his head to one side.

“What does that mean?” he asked in earnest. He was giving it his all. I needed to give mine. I took a deep breath in.

“It means I like you too, Bokuto-san.” And without thinking, I stepped forward, leaned up, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. When I pulled back, he was bright red and his eyes were wide open. Then he blinked once. Twice.  He leapt into the air.

“HEY HEY HEY!” he fist-pumped before grabbing me in a huge hug and swinging me around. “Akaashi likes me! AHHHHHHH I really want to spike some tosses right now!”

“Funny, I really want to toss for you right now.”

He beamed.

 

 


	2. Epilogue

“And that’s the story of how Bokuto and I started dating.” Akaashi finished.

The first and second years of Fukurodani, Nekoma and Karasuno were all gathered round in one room. The third years were having a meeting with the teachers, so a bonding ritual of “sleepover talk” had been initiated. Discussions of who everyone liked have obviously come up. Akaashi had casually mentioned he had a boyfriend, and for some reason Tanaka had been very excited to hear the story.

“Uoooaahhh” said Hinata. “That’s so cool! You got the Ace to notice you as a first year! How romantic.”

“You want our ace to notice you?” joked Noya. Hinata shook his head.

“Asahi-san is very cool, but I don’t have a crush on him.”

“You couldn’t date anyone that tall anyway, you’d break Asahi-san’s back.” Drawled Tsukishima.

“Good one, Tsukki.”

“Mmm height differences are a pain when dating.” Agreed Kenma, not looking up from his PSP.

“You’re dating someone, Kenma-san?!” asked Lev excitedly.

“Mm.” was Kenma’s noncommittal reply.

“So height differences are a problem when dating?” muttered Lev, suddenly looking sullen.

“Does anyone else have dating tales?” asked Ennoshita, who was secretly a romantic at heart.

“Kiyoko-san ignored me today when I told her she was beautiful!” Noya seemed very pleased with himself.

“She ignored me as well!” said Tora.

“What! You talked to our Kiyoko-san?” Tanaka launched himself at Tora. As the two tussled, Akaashi excused himself. On the way back from the toilet, he met up with the third years.

“Meeting go well?” he asked Bokuto, as they lagged behind.

“It was boring but I’m kinda pumped. I hope we all get in to nationals. Facing each other on that court will be amazing.”

“Yeah.”

Their hands slipped in to each others. Bokuto swooped down and placed a kiss on Akaashi’s cheek. They both smiled.

“I may have bragged a little about us to the others.”

“Oya?” Bokuto raised an eyebrow before breaking out into a huge smile. “Of course you did! You’re dating the Ace. And I’m dating the prettiest and best setter in the world!”

They walked back slowly, hand in hand.


End file.
